Hike #3: Stone Mountain Loop

I stepped off of the Blue Ridge Parkway to hike at another of my family's old haunts: Stone Mountain (NC) State Park.  Of the various trails at the park, I chose to hike the Stone Mountain Loop Trail.

Location: near Glade Valley, NC (Allegheny County) and Traphill, NC (Wilkes County);  if coming from the BRP, take the exit for US Highway 21 near Cherry Lane, NC and head down the mountain; 1 hour 15 minutes from Winston-Salem, NC (US 421 to I-77 to US 21); 1 hour and 45 minutes from Charlotte, NC (I-77 to US 21); from US 21, turn onto Traphill Road and then take a right onto the John P. Frank Parkway.

There are two places from which you can access the Stone Mountain Loop Trail: the Upper Lot and the Lower Lot.  Each has its own pros and cons.  I elected to start from the Lower Lot, which, as the name implies, is at the foot of the mountain.

Length: The Stone Mountain Loop Trail is 4.5 miles (elsewhere listed as 4.3 miles).  My GPS-aided fitness app measured it at 4.2 miles.

Difficulty: The trail map lists it as "strenuous."  This rating is due to the ascent of Stone Mountain itself.  If you begin from the Lower Lot (which I did) and head clockwise, the ascent takes place entirely within the first mile (see chart below).  As you can tell from the multiple "pause" balloons on the above map prior to the first mile-marker, this is a challenge.  If you head the opposite direction (counterclockwise), the ascent is divided into two chunks.  The first section is up a lengthy wooden stairway that parallels the "Upper Falls" between miles two and three (above). The second is up a series of switchbacks between mile-markers one and two.  The trail head from the Upper Lot splits this ascent evenly.  Most people simply wanting to go to Stone Mountain's Upper Falls or to the summit of the mountain will probably want to take the Upper Lot option.

My hiking partner and I maintained roughly a two mile-per-hour pace, which included a few breaks for picture-taking.  Our total time on the trail was close to two and a half hours.

Steps like those above give way to stairs like those below as you near the summit. 

Scenery: There is a lot to see along this trail. The view from the top of the mountain is stunning (Image 1 below). The 200-foot high Upper Falls is also quite beautiful (Image 2).  Then there is the impressive view of the mountain from the base (Image 3), which is most easily accessed by heading counterclockwise from the Lower Lot.  Finally, there is the Hutchinson Homestead at the base of the mountain (Image 4).  We skipped the homestead (which is just slightly off the trail) this time but it is worth a look if you have the time.

Image 1: View to the Southwest (one of many great views)

Image 2: Upper Falls (only about the lower 1/2 is visible here)

Image 3: Stone Mountain

Image 4: Hutchinson Homestead

Recommendations: Where to start and which direction to head all depends on whether you're doing this hike for exercise or for sightseeing.  If the former, I would recommend starting at the Lower Lot and heading clockwise.  The first mile is a bear but it's a great workout.  If the latter, I would recommend starting at the Upper Lot and then heading to the right (to catch the view from the summit) or to the left (to visit the falls).

Tough Decision: (from the Lower Lot) To the left it's all uphill for the first mile to the summit

Although they've made this trail much safer over the years by pulling the trail away from the exposed rock face, you will find the urge to step off the trail onto the expose granite in order to get a better view.  If you do, be careful.  They've also put up a wooden fence to restrict access to the very top of the Upper Falls for a very good reason.  As seen in the picture below, what looks like a refreshing mountain stream quickly becomes a death-drop.  I fell into this part of the stream as a child and was pulled out before I went over the edge.  Others have not been so lucky.

View from the top of the Upper Falls (note the drop off)

Finally, be on the alert for snakes.  We paused to allow a blacksnake to cross the trail and saw two other water snakes in the creek that follows the trail between the Upper Falls and the base of the mountain.

Share the Trail!

Packing List:

• Water (a least two quarts for the loop)
• Change of shirt/socks
• Whistle
• Camera

Overall: This is a trail with a good "payoff" in that the scenery from the lot and of the falls is worthwhile.  That being said, both of these are accessible from the Upper Lot without having to undertake that much of a hike.  If you elect to do the entire loop, then it is a good calorie-burning workout.  All things considered, I would rate this trail a 4 (of 5).

Happy Hiking!

Chris